Sea Turtle Baby Boom on Turtle Islands Breaks 28-year Record

1/31/2012

Arlington, VA — Citing figures obtained from the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Conservation International (CI)
announced that more than one million green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
eggs were laid last year in Baguan Island of Turtle Islands, Tawi-Tawi,
achieving an all-time high since recording of nesting started in 1984.

A total of 14,220 green turtle nests were recorded in Baguan in 2011,
breaking the previous record of 12,311 nests in 1995. The 2011 figures translate
to 2,844 nesting green turtles and 1.44 million turtle eggs laid. Green turtles
are classified as Endangered under the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

“1.44 million eggs is an astounding number for a nesting beach that’s only a
little over 1 kilometer in length. This presents great hope for boosting green
turtle populations,” said Romeo Trono, CI Philippines Country Executive
Director. “With an average of 90 percent hatching success and 1
percent survival rate up to sexual maturity, Baguan in 2011 alone could
contribute up to 13,000 to the adult turtle population.”

The 36-hectare Baguan in southern Philippines is one of the nine islands of
the Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area (TIHPA), a unique protected area
jointly managed by two countries: Malaysia and the Philippines. It is made up of
six islands of the Philippines’ Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary, where Baguan
is located, and three islands of Sabah’s Turtle Islands Park (TIP).

Figures from the DENR show that since the previous high of 12,311 turtle
nests recorded in 1995, Baguan’s nesting records have been declining and dropped
to as low as just over 4,000 nests in 2003. Poaching by foreign fishermen, egg
harvesting by local communities for food and trade, destruction and disturbance
of habitats through illegal fishing methods and weak law enforcement were
identified as the causes of the decline in the egg production and sea turtle
population in the sanctuary.

“The increasing nest numbers show that when turtles are protected on their
nesting beaches and in the water for long enough, they will recover,” said Dr.
Bryan Wallace Director of Science for the Marine Flagship Species Program at CI.
“The Turtle Islands are a globally important area for green turtles, especially
for the West Pacific population, because of the relatively high abundance
present and because of increasing protections for turtles in the area.”

Conservation Partnership

Since 2007, CI has been working with the Philippines’ DENR and the local
government as well the Malaysian Sabah Parks to advise and implement marine
conservation strategies in the region, including: setting up of the protected
area management board, formulation of a ten-year management plan, and
delineating 1,200 hectares around Baguan as strict protection zone or no take
areas.

Law enforcement in Baguan was also strengthened by providing trainings to
park wardens, law enforcers and community volunteers and stepping up patrolling
efforts. The Philippine Turtle Islands’ enforcement team also includes officers
and personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Marines
deployed to the area.

“These partnerships with other agencies like the Coast Guard and Marines
provide a big boost to law enforcement efforts in the Turtle Islands,” said Dr.
Mundita Lim, director of DENR’s Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau. “We also
enjoy a good working relationship with our Sabah counterparts in charge of
managing their side of the Turtle Islands. Turtles nest throughout the entire
area, regardless of political boundaries. That is also the approach we are using
in managing these islands through productive partnerships.”

Small islands, huge regional
importance

“The work that we are doing in Turtle Islands is an important contribution to
the overall health of the Coral Triangle,” said DENR Secretary Ramon Paje,
emphasizing the Turtle Islands as a conservation priority not only for the
Philippines and Malaysia but for all the other countries in the region. “If the
Turtles Islands are not protected, it can have serious implications to the whole
region’s turtle population and marine ecosystem.”

Dr. Nicolas Pilcher, director of Sabah-based Marine Research Foundation and
Co-Chair of the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group, noted that bold protection
measures such as the establishment of Baguan no-take zone and the complete
protection status of the Turtle Islands Park in Sabah had been instrumental in
ensuring a safe haven for turtles while other beaches in the region were being
lost to coastal development.

“Indeed, the combined turtle stocks from the Philippine and Malaysian Turtle
islands, which share genetic similarities, is the single largest and most stable
population of green turtles in all of Southeast Asia, and is of paramount
importance in ensuring the long-term survival of the population," Pilcher
added.

An average of 30 to 35 green turtles nest on Baguan’s shores every night,
with totals increasing to as many as 140 during the peak nesting season of July
to September. With each nesting, a sea turtle lays around 100 eggs and nests as
many as five times within one nesting season. Only green turtles nest in Baguan
though its surrounding reefs and water also serve as development and feeding
habitats for hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata, clasiffied as Critically
Endangered by the IUCN).

Conservation initiatives in Baguan are partially supported by the Global
Marine Division of Conservation International and the Coral Triangle Support
Partnership funded by the United States Agency for International
Development.

“The hatchlings that emerge from the Turtle Islands still face great risks
throughout their lives as they journey through the ocean, but at least here in
the Turtle Islands, we are determined to provide them with a good start,” Trono
said.

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